Pedro & Juana​'s immersive “Hórama Rama” urban jungle​ wins MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program 2019​

As one of five finalists, Ana Paula Ruiz Galindo & Mecky Reuss of Mexico City-based practice Pedro & Juana had the winning proposal for the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program 2019 competition, which seeks a creative, sustainably designed temporary summer installation for MoMA PS1's courtyard. Proposed designs must work within environmentally sensitive guidelines and provide shade, seating, and water for visitors.

At nearly 40-feet-tall and 90-feet-wide, Pedro & Juana's proposal “Hórama Rama” is a large-scale cyclorama that will display a panoramic image of a jungle on scaffolding that will protrude above the MoMA PS1 courtyard. The structure will reconfigure the courtyard into an immersive urban jungle environment. To add to the immersive experience, the structure features protruding wood “bristles” that create movement. Visitors will also get to enjoy hammocks handcrafted in southern Mexico and a functioning waterfall.

“Finding inspiration in historical panoramas, Pedro & Juana have designed a structure that will allow visitors to immerse themselves in a fantastical wilderness, a visual refuge from the city,” said MoMA PS1 Chief Curator Peter Eleey in a statement. “By juxtaposing two landscapes in transition — the jungle and the Long Island City skyline — they draw attention to the evolving conditions of our environment, both globally and locally, at a crucial moment.”

“Hórama Rama” will open this June, in time for MoMA PS1's Warm Up Summer Music Series.

Project credits

Project Leaders: Ana Paula Ruiz Galindo, Mecky Reuss
Team Pedro & Juana: Adriana Carlos, Vani Monjaraz
Structural Engineer: Roel Schierbeek, Shaina Saporta ARUP
Hammocks: Entre Nudos
Waterfall Consultant: Jenna Didier and ARUP
Lighting Consultants: ARUP
Model: Julia DiPietro, Yuki Nakayama